1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an interactive system and particularly to a system for multiplexing data in a digital video signal.
2. Description of Related Art
It is known to provide a video programme in the form of a digital signal which may be broadcast, or which may be provided on a digital video disk (DVD) or a video tape and the present invention is not restricted to the form in which the video signal for a programme is provided.
With the increasing number of television broadcasting channels, there is a dilution of advertising revenue since, for commercial reasons, an advertiser restricts their marketing effort to a limited number of broadcast channels. In addition, there is an increase in availability of devices available to a viewer for preventing the reception of unwanted advertisements, e.g. a V-chip, but at the present time there is currently no way of selectively blocking advertisements, with the result that those advertisements that may be of interest to a viewer are also blocked.
With the growing use of the Internet, users are becoming accustomed to having access to large and diverse sources of data and information using a personal computer (PC) or, for example, a digital set-top box used in conjunction with a television and remote control or mouse.
The present invention seeks to provide a system which enables a viewer to interact with a video signal which may be broadcast so as to facilitate information transfer and/or transactions that may be performed over the Internet.